17,359 Albemarle Corporation $ALB Shares Purchased by Alps Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Alps Advisors increased its Albemarle stake by 6.8%, buying 17,359 shares in the third quarter to hold 272,110 shares worth about $31.6 million.
• Albemarle reported quarterly earnings of $2.58 per share, beating estimates of $2.53; revenue of $1.55 billion also exceeded forecasts and rose 18.8% year over year.
• Analyst views were mixed: the average rating was “Hold,” with a $177.64 average price target, while individual firms lowered targets and Zacks Research downgraded the stock to “Strong Sell.”

Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB - Free Report) by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 272,110 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,359 shares during the quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. owned about 0.23% of Albemarle worth $31,626,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Albemarle by 161.8% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 49,412 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $6,672,000 after purchasing an additional 30,541 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Albemarle in the second quarter worth about $4,246,000. NFJ Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in Albemarle during the second quarter valued at approximately $23,328,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in Albemarle during the second quarter worth about $4,145,000. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. acquired a new stake in Albemarle during the second quarter worth approximately $2,012,000. 92.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ALB has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their target price on Albemarle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Albemarle from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 10th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Albemarle in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Albemarle from $175.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Albemarle from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Albemarle has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $177.64.

Albemarle Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:ALB opened at $99.03 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $107.59 and a 200 day moving average of $147.87. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Albemarle Corporation has a 12-month low of $89.77 and a 12-month high of $221.00. The company has a market cap of $11.69 billion, a PE ratio of 23.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.34.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.05. Albemarle had a return on equity of 10.96% and a net margin of 3.09%. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.19) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Albemarle Corporation will post 11.20 EPS for the current year.

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 18th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 18th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Albemarle's dividend payout ratio is 39.61%.

Albemarle News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Albemarle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Albemarle reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.58 per share, ahead of estimates, on $1.55 billion in revenue—also above forecasts and up 18.8% year over year. Higher lithium pricing, strong demand, cost reductions and improved Specialties profits supported the results. Albemarle Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Cost Discipline and Lithium Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank maintained its “Sector Outperform” rating and $190 price target, estimating EPS of $11.64 for FY2026 and $14.15 for FY2027—above the cited current-year consensus estimate. Albemarle analyst coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Truist reaffirmed its “buy” rating, though it lowered its price target to $170 from $185. Truist rating information
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC cut its target to $119 from $129 but retained an “outperform” rating, reflecting a more cautious valuation alongside continued optimism about the shares. RBC rating information
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays lowered its target to $95 from $109 and kept an “equal weight” rating, pointing to a less favorable near-term risk-reward view. Lithium prices remain volatile, a potential source of uncertainty for earnings. Barclays rating information

Albemarle Profile

Albemarle Corporation NYSE: ALB is a global specialty chemicals company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company develops, manufactures, and markets engineered chemicals used in energy storage, transportation, refining, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, consumer products, and other industrial applications.

Albemarle is one of the world's major producers of lithium and supplies lithium compounds, including lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide, for use in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, portable electronics, and grid energy-storage systems.

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